Friday Feed Zone - DIY Powerade

Welcome to the first Friday Feed Zone. This is going to be a weekly feature on the blog, and over time it'll give you ideas and recipes on homemade sports nutrition as well as suggesting some products that go into my pack whenever I venture out. 

Now don't get me wrong, there are a ton of excellent products on the market, but if you want something cheaper and more natural then homemade is definitely the way forward.

To start us off we have a classic - homemade Powerade. Unlike the shop bought stuff, this contains fresh fruit, herbal infusions and a lot less sugar (and it's natural fruit sugar not refined sugar).

Check out the recipe below, and if you've got any of your own recipes you'd like to share then get in touch.

Homemade Powerade

Homemade Powerade on the left.
Slightly darker in colour, but that's due to the lack of artificial colouring

Here's what you need - 

1. 1 teabag - orange flavour
2. 1 tsp honey
3. 400ml water, boiled
4. 1 pinch rock salt
5. 2 oranges

Method -

Make a cup of tea with some of the water, and the teabag. Brew as per the instructions on your teabag or to your taste. I personally find the stronger the better, as it will be diluted down later.

Remove the teabag, add a pinch of salt (preferably one with trace elements on potassium and magnesium) and the honey (artisan honey from Walthamstow is not essential, but it is lovely).

Juice the orange, and add to the tea mixture.

Top up with boiled water to make 500ml. Cool and store in the fridge until required. It will keep for approximately 5 days.

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The Homemade Powerade contains approximately 60 calories per 500ml. The real stuff weighs in at slightly more at 85 calories per 500ml. What I prefer though is that the homemade version contains natural sugars that occur in honey and fruit juice, whereas the Powerade is packed with high fructose corn syrups which the body will struggle to digest. 

There is a similar level of salts between the two drinks, and the honey (in the homemade version) and the processed sugars (in the original version) contain carbohydrates to give you the energy to finish your adventure. 

Homemade Powerade is also great because it is not only good for you, it's good for your wallet and the environment. After making 500ml of Homemade Powerade I have spent approximately 2CHF, and have two halves of an orange and a tea bag to go into the compost. Had I bought a Powerade, I'd have three E-numbers whizzing around my body, with a shed load of artificial sweeteners to boot. And I'd have a wasted sports bottle and a 3CHF shaped dent in my wallet. They both taste really similar, and keep as long in the fridge. So as if you needed anymore encouragement, go and make one...